A Quail's Cry
by Loafbud
Summary: Countless generations after the four main Clans, three new Clans arise in a distant region. These Clans have recently settled on their new territory. Starlingheart of OakClan discovers a new fate that he fears the most. He feels as if his every move is being watched by malevolent eyes. He has a feeling that he must warn his Clan of this strange wave it's too late.
1. Allegiance of the Clans

**OAKCLAN** _(known for their witty and wisdom)_

**Leader**

**Oakstar**—tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

**Deputy**

**Ryenose**—brown tabby she-cat with white splotches

**Medicine cats**

**Tawnytooth**—orange-brown she-cat with amber eyes

**Mapletuft**—russet she-cat with white underbelly and bushy tail

**Warriors**

**Snowpelt**—white tom with amber eyes

**Dewcloud**—dark gray tom with darker flecks

**Applewhisker**—dark ginger she-cat

** Apprentice, Halfpaw** (tortoiseshell she-cat with orange and black split in face)

**Honeydapple**—orange speckled she-cat with white paws

** Apprentice, Duskpaw** (solid black she-cat)

**Beechmask**—pale gray tom with a white face and tail-tip and yellow teeth

**Hatchwing**—ginger tom

**Starlingheart**—brown tabby tom

**Robinfeather**—russet-colored tom with a bushy tail

**Apprentice, Copperpaw** (light brown tabby she-cat)

**Deersong**—brown she-cat

**Curltail**—gray she-cat with a plume for a tail

**Slatefern**—gray-and-white she-cat with tabby patches and green eyes

**Apprentice, Wolfpaw** (black-and-gray tom with darker flecks and piercing yellow eyes)

**Milkpelt**—pale white she-cat with tabby patches

**Wildleap**—light brown tom

**Queens**

**Vineheart**—pale ginger she-cat with green eyes (with Beechmask's kits)

**Mossypetal**—tortoiseshell she-cat with white and tabby patches

_**Mossypetal's kits**__ (with Snowpelt)_

_** Haykit**__—dark gray tom_

_** Nutkit**__—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat_

_** Berrykit**__—white she-kit_

_** Snailkit**__—cream-furred tom_

**Elders**

**Lakerunner**—pale tabby tom with a graying muzzle

**Jaggedfoot**—black-and-gray tabby tom with a twisted leg

* * *

**SHREWCLAN** _(known for their quick, nimble, and lithe bodies)_

**Leader**

**Shrewstar**—brown tom with green eyes

**Deputy**

**Puddlepelt**—white-and-brown she-cat

**Medicine Cat**

**Snowcloud**—soft white tom

**Apprentice, Flakefeather** (dappled pale gray tom)

**Warriors**

**Newtdapple**—white tom

**Shadestream**—dark gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Heathernose**—light brown tabby she-cat

**Apprentice, Pikepaw **(gray-brown dappled tom)

***Tigerspirit**—orange tom with jet-black tabby stripes and blue eyes

**Apprentice, Whitepaw **(white tom with black ears and blue eyes)

**Meadownose**—a tri-colored she-cat

**Apprentice, Buzzardpaw **(pale tabby-and-white tom)

**Finchfeather**—gray-and-white she-cat

**Mallowpelt**—light tabby she-cat with purple eyes

**Willownose**—cream-furred she-cat with darker face and tail and white paws

**Russetwing**—ginger tom with amber eyes

**Queens**

**Quialwing**—light gray she-cat with white paws (mother of Tigerspirit's kits; Shadekit, a dark gray she-cat; Cedarkit, a gray-blue tom)

**Elders**

**Mousefern**—brown tom with a graying muzzle

**Eagleheart**—brown-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

**Stormwatcher**—gray tom with darker flecks

**Fennelfoot**—solid black tom

**BLIZZARDCLAN**

_(known for their thick fur and sturdy paws and headstrong attitude; they were founded at a snowy site during leaf-bare with the other two Clans, when the ground was covered in thick layers of snow. It was only a matter of time until the snow melted and Newleaf rid their natural habitat. Talk about a no-show. BlizzardClan were on the verge of migrating to a place where snow was permanent but the other Clans convinced them into staying and that their Clan had to amend to the warmth and foliage soon. BlizzardClan never migrated and they remained in their habitation, having their accustomed snowy region only once every leaf-bare. Today, it is a mystery to the next generation of cats on why it is called BlizzardClan when there's no sign of snow for most of the time.)_

**Leader**

**Blizzardstar**—white tom with spiky fur

**Deputy**

**Hailstorm**—black tom with white chest and chin

**Medicine cat**

**Harenose**—light brown tabby she-cat

**Warriors**

**Snowrunner**—white tom with sturdy paws

**Apprentice, Harepaw** (light tabby tom)

**Slatefeather**—dark gray tom

**Apprentice, Frostpaw** (snow-white she-cat)

**Fallownose**—light brown she-cat

**Nighttail**—solid black tom with a broken jaw

**Apprentice, Bristlepaw (**tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat)

**Whiteheart**—white she-cat with yellow eyes

**Stonestripe**—pale gray tom with blue eyes and a darker tail

**Stormfoot**—jet-black tom with green eyes

**Queens**

**Netttlebird**—light silver she-cat with black stripes

**Elders**

**Hickorywing**—brown-and-white tabby tom with a torn ear

**Tallfoot**—silver she-cat with long limbs

**CATS OUTSIDE OF CLANS**

**Plump**—cream-furred she-cat with green eyes, a kittypet

**Vincent**—gray-and-white tom with green eyes, a rogue

**Clash**—ginger tabby tom, a rogue

**Brick**—russet-furred sturdy tom, a rogue

* * *

***Tigerspirit is a Toyger breed and the very rare of his kind. :3**

**This chapter only contains the allegiance. The Prologue will begin in the next chapter, followed by present-time Chapter 1 and so on. With this being a new warriors fanfic, it will take some time to write this and plan out the plot thoroughly.**


	2. Prologue

The clearing was bare and lined with snowmelt. There was no sign of the white, slushy blanket that normally covered their camp and the little portion of their territory. Instead, there were fresh buds sprouting out of the bare trees, bringing in the sign of Newleaf. Blizzardstar looked up at the clearing blue sky and let out a huff of augmentation and disillusionment. He sat on the once frozen tree stump that was lined with brambles.

Hailstorm padded up towards his leader. He followed his gaze and flicked his tail-tip. "There's no point in sulking now," he murmured. He looked at the BlizzardClan leader with eyes swollen with grief. "The snow's gone now and there's hardly any mounds of it to shelter in."

Blizzardstar looked at Hailstorm with misleading in his eyes. "What's the point of trying to get the snow back?" he meowed. "Hailstorm, you are my deputy, and what you say could be in great ailment for my Clan."

Hailstorm bristled across his shoulders. "I am only trying to help," he meowed sternly. "How dare you accuse me of giving sickness to my Clan?"

"When we established our grounds here, the place was impeccable for us: there was plenty of snow." Blizzardstar meowed, lashing his tail. "There was snowfall that created mounds of snow, which also served as sheltermounds. The preymound is no more now—all the preys' pelts are sodden by snowmelt. Can we really give that to Nettlebird? She's expecting your kits and you really think giving her that stuff would satisfy her hunger?" A rush of warm air buffeted through their thick pelts, their whiskers pressed against their faces for a few heartbeats.

Hailstorm had a look of grievance and love in his eyes. "I'm doing all I can to keep the spirits of my Clan high," he meowed softly. "With your decision to migrate to another snowbound region, it seemed to have triggered OakClan and ShrewClan to tell us to remain in this forest."

Blizzardstar fluffed up his fur in indignation at the thought of having the two Clans choose his decisions. "I will not get ordered around by two leaders," he hissed. "But if what they said is true about the snow coming back in leaf-bare, then so be it."

The deputy's eyes lightened up. "So we'll stay?"

Blizzardstar snorted. "Of course," he grunted. "It'll only be a matter of time until the snow comes back again."

Hailstorm gave his deputy an approving dip of his head before turning away towards the muddied camp. Blizzardstar gave one last look at the clear sky before following after his deputy. The camp was grassy and dappled with mud spots everywhere. The grass was nearly browned caused by the heavy layer of snow for the past moon. Little coolness waved from the remaining snowmelt around the clearing. The camp was lined with lichen that grew on small rocks and the base of trees. The dens, except for the leader's den, were sheltered by bramble thickets that were wide enough for a number of cats to sleep in. The leader's den was beneath a gorse bush, which still needed time for its flowers to grow. The sky was clear of any trees that would block the beautiful scenery of the cloudless skies. There were trees that lined the camp as well, serving as a barricade for any intruders. Birdsong began to fill the air weakly as the small attempts of Newleaf took its course all around them.

Blizzardstar strode around his camp to observe the progress. Fallownose and Slatefeather were helping to bring fresh, dry moss into the warriors' den. Nighttail and Bristlepaw helped rid any crushed bramble patch that was weight down by the snow. Blizzardstar noticed how Bristlepaw looked rather absentminded and sad. She would give furtive glances at Nighttail, which sent a shiver down her spine. Her mentor, Nighttail, had a broken jaw. His jaws would seem gaped and easy for any kind of bird to fly in. The solid black warrior had somehow snapped his jaws out of place while trying to save a kit from drowning, assumingly Bristlepaw when she was a lone kit, which virtually broke his jaws out of its sockets. Blizzardstar was told rumors by the elders when he was a young warrior that there were four legendary Clans: ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. If there was any cat that would have a permanent injury or wound, then their names were subject to change to match their wounds, even if the name was unpleasant. Blizzardstar felt that that was only a rumor and nothing true. If it were true, he wouldn't want to rename Nighttail into Brokenjaw or Twistedjaw. _ Nighttail has worked hard and earned his name,_ he thought. _There's no point in renaming him into such a joke. A name like that would haunt his life for good._

Blizzardstar spotted Whiteheart recreating the nursery den all by herself. She wasn't doing any great effort but her eyes were heavy with wanted succor. Blizzardstar went over to her side. "It looks like you need help," he meowed to her.

Whiteheart looked surprised at the BlizzardClan leader. "Blizzardstar?" she gasped. "I wasn't expecting you to be here. Don't you have a Clan to lead? Don't waste your breath on helping me. I got this." But whenever she went to lift up a section of bramble thicket with her muzzle, she flinched back and nearly slipped on a patch of slippery mud. Blizzardstar caught her in time before she could fall to the ground.

Blizzardstar admired her self-assurance and hotheadedness. He also relished seeing how her thick, soft white pelt glowed dimly in the fading sunlight. He touched his nose to her shoulder. "Come on, admit it," he meowed. "You need my help. Now let's fix up the nursery together."

Whiteheart looked like she wanted to argue but she kept her jaws shut. After she and Blizzardstar helped fix the nursery den, Whiteheart sat back. "That was easy," she sighed.

The leader gave her a playful nudge on the shoulder. "It was easy when I came in to help," he teased.

Whiteheart prodded a forepaw in the leader's side. "I can manage my own, thank you," she snorted. There was an edge of amusement in her tone.

Blizzardstar purred. _You'd be just as glad as I am that I was here for you,_ he wanted to say aloud.

When Blizzardstar left Whiteheart to manage a little bit of refining on her own, he stood in the center of the clearing, gazing around at his hardworking Clan. They were slowly rebuilding to adjust to normal Clan life without the snow. It was going to be a difficult haul, but Blizzardstar knew that deep down his Clan could make it. Despite their given Clan name, they'd have to adjust to warmer climates. _ But when I think about it, we'll have to learn more battle techniques that aren't based on snowbound land than those we already know. We'll know twice the moves and battle skills for both snow and dry ground._ _We'll let the others know that we're BlizzardClan blood deep down in our bodies, no matter how hot the sun is._

**Sorry that this prologue is short. This is mainly based on the rebuilding that BlizzardClan had to go through. This is set in the past, however, around three moons before the present time of the actual fanfic. **


	3. Chapter 1

**_A/N: The setting is not in the old forest or the lake, but is set in a different place where_**

* * *

_Newleaf had started a couple of_ moons ago, casting beautiful sunrays and peaceful birdsong to flutter through the warm, sunny air. A small clearing sat in the distance surrounded by the shelter of a thick forest. Past those trees were barren grassland where patches of marigold and other flowers dispersed in their own little world.

Starlingheart had returned from a hunting patrol. The prey was plentiful at this time of the moon. Starlingheart had a limp squirrel dangling from his jaws and he went to go deposit his prey. The others that went on the hunting patrol—Honeydapple, Deersong, and Curltail—went to give their prey to the fresh-kill pile as well. The Clan was settling down while most of the cats were basking in the sunlight. Starlingheart laid on his side in a patch of sunlight, relishing the warmth that bathed in his dark brown tabby fur.

Dewcloud approached to his side and sat beside him. "How was the hunt?" he asked.

Starlingheart had his eyes closed softly. "It was wonderful," he purred. "Honeydapple caught a plump shrew. Did you see how she had so much balance in her haunches? Her stance and form were perfect."

Dewcloud tilted his head. "Er… I never went hunting with you, Starlingheart," he meowed, confused and slightly amused. "You've been on Honeydapple's tail for moons." As Starlingheart sat up, Dewcloud rose up to his paws. "You both have been friends ever since you were kits. Isn't it time that you told her how you feel?"

Starlingheart gave his feathery chest fur a few embarrassed licks. "It's not what you think," he scoffed his brother. "It's _totally_ not what you think."

Dewcloud rolled his eyes. "Whatever, mouse-brain," he meowed. As soon as Dewcloud left towards the warriors' den, an orange she-cat with white paws came up towards Starlingheart. His heart skipped a heartbeat at the sight of the pretty she-cat.

Starlingheart relaxed in his pool of sunlight. "Hi, Honeydapple," he meowed.

Honeydapple's eyes were glowing. "Greetings, fur-ball," she teased. "All that jumping from branch-to-branch got you, didn't it?" As she spoke, she sat down beside Starlingheart, her tail wrapped around her forepaws.

Starlingheart nodded. During their hunting, he and Curltail had to practically leap from one branch to the next to catch a tiresome, skinny squirrel. He personally thought that he did all of the work. Starlingheart still couldn't forget that moment when he nearly slipped on a reedy branch that almost made him lose his foothold. His heart still lurched at the thought. _I was so high up_, he thought fearfully. _That would've been a nasty fall._

"You and Curltail are very incredible climbers," praised Honeydapple. "I would _never_ do that. Climbing a tree… ha! That's a squirrel's business!"

Starlingheart wasn't offended by her remark. "I'm perfectly fine with climbing trees," he meowed fairly. "As long as I'm not too high up."

Honeydapple flicked his ear with her bushy tail. "Oakstar should've called you _Squirrel_heart."

Starlingheart twitched his whiskers with amusement and cuffed his infantile friend in the shoulder. "Shut your jaws, mouse-mouth."

"Will not!" Honeydapple spun around and flicked her tail at his nose. Starlingheart's eyes glowed with their long-standing bond as he began chasing her around the sandy camp, kicking up dust. Honeydapple's cheerful mews rung like birdsong in the air. She looked back over her shoulder, her eyes gleaming with challenge. Starlingheart could feel his muscles ripple beneath his thick pelt. _You won't outrun me this time!_

Starlingheart, not breaking pace, was about to leap on top of her when a low, demanding voice called from nearby: "You two are acting like a bunch of kits!"

Honeydapple rushed into the warriors' den that stood in their general direction. Starlingheart skidded to a halt at its entrance, with Honeydapple trudging out, embarrassed.

A stiff dark gray tom with white paws marched up towards them, his eyes glinting through frustration. "How many time have I told you two not to chase each other around the camp like a pair of kits with catmint?"

Honeydapple stepped up, her tone fringed with aggravation. "I _know_, Beechmask, we _get_ it," she meowed argumentatively. "I'm not your responsibility anymore. Can't you give us a little freedom?"

The tom named Beechmask flicked a torn ear. "I don't want to hear it," he grunted. "You're a young, beautiful warrior and I can't bother to see you act like a kit any longer." _Any father would enjoy seeing their kit acting like young versions of themselves at some point, _thought Starlingheart inwardly. _But I get what he's saying: we've been playing around almost every sunrise._

Honeydapple's neck fur bristled. "_You don't want to hear it,"_ she meowed, her impassive tone caught in her throat. She stood stiff with her tail parallel to the ground. "Why am I not surprised? Can't you be the father that I want to see?" With that, Honeydapple hung her head and pelted past Beechmask. The sturdy tom looked impassively after his daughter before swinging his gaze back on Starlingheart, his hot amber gaze burning him down.

"It's your fault that she acts this way," he meowed coldly.

Starlingheart opened his mouth to say something.

"It's your fault that I can't have my sweet, little daughter back," pressed Beechmask, digging his claws into the ground.

Stung, Starlingheart forced himself to keep his neck fur lying flat. "We're just friends!" he meowed.

"Then act like it." Beechmask turned around and walked off. At first Starlingheart thought that he was going to go find Honeydapple, but the sturdy tom went over to the nursery den. When he arrived, a pale ginger head stretched out to touch noses with him. A tail flashed out and beckoned him to come inside. Beechmask vanished in the gorse bush.

Starlingheart swallowed. Beechmask was a very defensive father who looked over Honeydapple as if she was a Clan full of precious kits. That was normal through most parents through OakClan but Beechmask was overdoing it. She was a young warrior now, not a newborn kit. _I'd understand if I had kits on my own._ Starlingheart shook his head. _What am I thinking, thinking about kits at a time like this?_

Starlingheart went to go find Honeydapple. He found her sitting at the edge of the clearing, eating a plump shrew with Ryenose. Ryenose was Honeydapple's mentor before she became the OakClan deputy. Honeydapple still looked up to her as if she was her mentor all over again.

Honeydapple took a small, halfhearted bite out of her shrew, looking up at Ryenose expectantly. Starlingheart was walking into a quiet conversation.

"…I'm still recovering from the shock after Cinderfeather died in the fire at the Twoleg nest." Ryenose's solemn meow faded in. "She was the best mother any cat could ask for." She turned her head at the sound of Starlingheart's footsteps. Her eyes glowed faintly at his presence. "Please, have a seat," she offered approachably.

When Starlingheart sat by Honeydapple, she shifted beside him uneasily. He wrapped his tail around her back consolingly. Honeydapple leaned her head against his shoulder, loosening up.

Starlingheart looked up at his deputy. "Do you think that Beechmask and Vineheart are still recovering from Poppyfern and Icepaw's deaths?" He felt Honeydapple's ears droop against his broad shoulder. Poppyfern and Icepaw were Honeydapple's littermates who, too, died in the fire that took over the camp several moons ago. It all started with three Twolegs that invaded their camp and built a small fire in the center of the clearing, only to add something in it to cause the fire to grow and grow. One of the Twolegs even captured Mousepelt. _We've lost so much then…_

"He might still be stressed out after their loss," meowed Ryenose. She turned her soothing gaze over to Honeydapple. "Don't get inconsolable by your father's trauma," she told her. "He only needs to give time for his stress to relieve. Giving him some thyme would help release some of his tension. I'll go tell Tawnytooth about it. I'll be back." The brown tabby deputy stood up and went over to the medicine den. She poked her head in and said a few things before heading back over towards them. As soon as she sat back down, an orange-brown she-cat emerged from the medicine den to call over Beechmask, who struck his head out and looked bewildered.

Ryenose shook her head. "Hopefully that'll help," she sighed. "That is all I can do, let alone Tawnytooth and Mapletuft."

Starlingheart looked up at Ryenose. "When will Tawnytooth give up her position as medicine cat?" he asked her.

The deputy flicked her tail-tip across the sandy ground. "She has enough life in her to keep her going," she meowed rather defensively. "She is still young at heart and we are blessed to have her more than any cat would know."

Honeydapple blinked. "Do you think they still have connection with StarClan?" _Good question. I hardly believe in them, so why should I care?_

Ryenose lowered her head sideways and reached out with a hind leg to scratch her ear irritably. "That's their business, not mine," she meowed. "And plus, I heard through legends that it's been countless moons beyond moons before the three Clans were created that there were four Clans: ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan. There was another forgotten Clan that was called SkyClan, who didn't live amongst the four. And there was another Clan that was more like an ancient Clan called StarClan. That lived amongst the star and watched over the four main Clans at night—they did not reach far enough to watch over SkyClan, though.

The four main Clans were conceived to have been wiped out by large rocks that fell from the sky. Who would believe in that—a bunch of rocks that fell from the sky? Maybe StarClan was angry at them? But ever since then, there were no wild cats to be seen and it was pretty rare for any left survivors. There was one survivor but he died of smoke inhalation. I knew this through the elders' tales. This happened many, many, many moons ago. How did they hear about this? Probably by a bunch of eye-witnessing kittypets.

It was also rumored that, with so many cats dying, StarClan was overpopulated. There was no sense into moving out to further ground to spread their territory—StarClan was borderless. However, a dream came to mind. StarClan's number was so great that the skies were filled with stars—it was Silverpelt everywhere you looked! But StarClan is all a mystery to us now, besides the leader and medicine cats. We don't know whether it exists or not. How did Oakstar receive her nine lives? How was Mapletuft able to receive her medicine cat name at the Moonfall? It is all an enigmatic tale to us." Ryenose lifted her muzzle to look at the sky, a gentle breeze catching her fur. "StarClan is unknown to most of us."

Honeydapple and Starlingheart's eyes were wide with curiosity, as if dazzling with more questions. "StarClan is like four Clans watching all of us at once," mused Honeydapple. "Isn't that were dead cats go? I'm not sure."

Ryenose nodded. "Like you and Starlingheart went through when you were apprentices, every new apprentice is to learn about StarClan and its ancestors."

Starlingheart blinked with little interest. "Isn't there an old saying we have to say in order to commend StarClan?" he asked.

"Yes, there is. I'm not sure if I remember it, though. I know the beginning was _kits of kin and kin of light, sit and reach for the stars tonight. _And that's all I know." Her eyes glistened. "Maybe you two should ask Oakstar."

Starlingheart felt anticipation sizzle through his paws at the thought of going into the leader's den. He stood up and so did Honeydapple in the same instant. "Come on," he told her. Starlingheart could feel Ryenose's eyes locked on them as the two friends padded up towards the thickest oak tree. Most of its bark was burnt off due to the fire several moons ago. A large burrow guarded by its thick, curvy roots rested at the base of the tree. Starlingheart felt the ground dip beneath him as he hunkered his body to squeeze through. He felt Honeydapple's eyes watch after him as she stood at the den's entrance. The hole was only big enough for two cats.

The light was engulfed by shadow as Starlingheart squeezed through, the low ground forcing him to lower his body. A lean, lithe tortoiseshell she-cat lay in her nest encircled with soft moss. She looked up at Starlingheart with age and elegance in her amber eyes.

"Greetings, Starlingheart," she meowed gently. "May I help you?"

"Yes," began Starlingheart abruptly. "Is it okay if you tell me that old saying called StarClan's Wish? I forgot about it and I wanted to prove Tawnytooth that I know my ancestors." He hoped that his lie wasn't obvious; Oakstar knew nothing about Starlingheart not believing in StarClan. He could tell that Honeydapple was watching him from behind.

The tortoiseshell leader dipped her head. "Sure," she meowed and began in a suave, gentle tone. "_Kits of kin and kin of light, sit and reach for stars tonight. Concede the aid and aid the rule, cherish life and love no duel. Brace the life and indulgence we give, for it is fortunate for what you live."_

Starlingheart acknowledged her good memory of the words. He took each word in like it was pieces of prey before dipping his head at his leader. "Okay, thanks Oakstar," he meowed. When he turned around and squeezed out of the leader's den, Honeydapple was all up on him, her tail high and eyes expectant.

"That was beautiful!" she meowed. "I wish I had good memory like that."

Starlingheart paused and gave her a comforting lick across the ear. "Of course you have good memory," he meowed. "How do you still remember our friendship so well?" He received a playful cuff around the ear from Honeydapple. For a moment, it looked as if she was going to tackle him playfully. But she held back and heaved a deep sigh.

"I better go bring Duskpaw out to do battle training," she meowed resignedly. "She'd fret if we miss a day without training anything at all."

As she finished speaking, a solid black she-cat padded up towards them, her green eyes expectant. "I overheard you about missing training this sunrise," she mewed. "I wouldn't like that!"

Honeydapple looked down at her apprentice. "Alright, come on, then," she meowed. "And maybe we can call for the other mentors to bring their apprentices, too."

Duskpaw bounced on her paws. "Cool! Can't wait!"

Honeydapple turned at Starlingheart and rested her tail on his shoulder for a heartbeat. "I'll see you later," she meowed. Starlingheart watched as Honeydapple and Duskpaw scurried over to the warriors' den to call for the other mentors. Starlingheart sulked. He wished to be a mentor and he truthfully wanted Wolfpaw as his apprentice. Wolfpaw was ambitious and always wanted to learn more than he could already manage. He wondered when he'll be chosen as a mentor or whether he'd ready to be a mentor at all. _I'd really like to mentor one of Mossypelt's kits. And then I'd be able to train with Honeydapple._

* * *

**What's the Moonfall?**

**Since the three new fan-made Clans are living somewhere else (not in the forest or by the lake), they have appointed new names for certain things. These Clans don't have a Moonstone or a Moonpool, but a Moonfall. The Moonfall is located up a river (much like the Moonpool) that leads to a large pond of water where a massive waterfall is situated. Staying to tradition, all medicine cats go to the Moonfall every half-moon. There are stepping stones that lead to the center of the pond, the largest being in the middle and the last of the stepping stones. All three medicine cats must rest on top of the largest stone to consult with StarClan. When one wakes up in a dream at the Moonfall, they often tend to see the stars and shapes of StarClan warriors in the waterfall. The waterfall is also described as "brilliant" and "bursting with stars".**


	4. Chapter 2

Starlingheart stood in a small clearing that was very unfamiliar to him. The air smelt dank and humid, sending chills down his spine. Little did he know that he was being watched by a pair of spiteful blue eyes. His breath caught in his throat and he turned towards a pair of gorse bushes where he felt the eyes were watching him from. He only had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of them. The blue eyes blinked twice and vanished in a heartbeat. Fear gripped in Starlingheart's chest. _Where am I?_

He dared not to make an utter sound as Starlingheart stalked up towards the two gorse bushes. Remembering his past times with his mentor Wildleap, the dark brown tabby tom remained low and flatted his ears against his head, his tail parallel to the ground. The gorse bushes rustled before him. Starlingheart pelted through them and began his chase on a shadowy figure. Tall, reedy trees streamed past him in a blur, gnarling tendrils and roots attempting to trip him down at some moments. The forest became thicker and thicker as he pursued the cat further down.

The stranger stopped abruptly in front of him. Starlingheart nearly stumbled over his whiskers trying to stop himself from crashing into the cat's haunches. There was dim, milky light that slanted down on the stranger, revealing its creamy-brown fur and distinguishable bushy neck fur. _Poppyfern!_

The she-cat turned around to face him. Her eyes were dark and ominous. "Hello, Starlingheart," she greeted. Her conduct nearly matched the murky, hollow forest around them, its skies black and trees slightly looming over them with its boney branches. There was a tint of loneliness in her bright yellow eyes.

Starlingheart went up to touch noses with her in greeting but he felt nothing but the murky air. He couldn't feel her soft, feathery pelt. He reached out again, but this time, with a forepaw. Still, his paw went right through her. Poppyfern bore a detached expression as if she didn't have the sensation to feel his touches. The forest shone slightly through her, stars flecked throughout her pelt and in her eyes. _What's the matter with her? _Starlingheart thought with rising alarm. _And why does she have stars in her pelt?_

"It's been several moons ever since the fire engulfed our camp," meowed Poppyfern. "I'm glad to see that my Clan had reinforced it back to its normal conditions." _You don't seem too happy about anything._

Starlingheart took a step back. "Y-your sister is okay," he reminded her. For once, he was glad that Poppyfern's eyes glinted with relief. "Where's Icepaw?" he asked gently.

Poppyfern's eyes went dark again. "Icepaw is in another part of the forest," she meowed.

"Is something wrong with her?" Starlingheart pressed.

"No."

"Can you take me to her? I want to tell her that Honeydapple is okay, too."

Poppyfern lashed her tail impatiently. "I don't have enough time for that," she grunted. "I have a message for you."

Starlingheart stiffened. "A message?" he gasped.

But Poppyfern didn't hear. "It is a message—no, an _omen_: beware a storm of black and white." As she finished, she began to fade away into the air, the stars in her pelt glowing faintly.

Starlingheart's eyes widened with shock. "Wait!" he gasped. "Don't go! You know I can't remember that phrase perfectly. _Hey_, get _back_ here!" His annoyance rising, Starlingheart swiped a paw at Poppyfern, only to be swiping in thin air. There was a swirl of stars where Poppyfern once stood. Once the stars faded away, Starlingheart was left alone again in the foreboding forest.

"Ow!"

Starlingheart opened his eyes to find himself back in his nest. His eyes met Applewhisker rubbing her nose with a forepaw. She was staring down at Starlingheart irritably.

"Be careful where you put that paw," she grumbled. "You mouse-dung!" She stumbled past him towards her own nest. Starlingheart looked back at her wearily over his shoulder and shrugged. He rose up to his paws and stretched, shaking each limb in turn and yawning bigly to curl his tongue. Starlingheart stepped out of his nest to stand in the clearing to get some fresh air. He stood in the clearing and listened to the daily doling of patrols and the daily activities of OakClan.

Across the clearing, Snailkit and Berrykit were tussling near the entrance, their excited mews filling the air. Haykit and Nutkit watched from the inside warily. Mossypelt padded out of the den and hissed, "I order you to cut that out! Berrykit, get off of Snailkit this instant! It feels like I'm raising a bunch of newts!"

Berrykit and Snailkit separated from one another and looked up at their mother, their tails drooping in guilt. "We have no fun!" whined Snailkit.

Mossypelt flicked her tail-tip. "Well, get all the fun you have," she meowed resignedly. "Because you'll be apprentices soon."

Haykit stepped up in front of his mother. "I don't want to be an apprentice!" he protested. "I'd have to clean the elders' nests for moons!" He had a disgusted look on his face.

"And check for ticks," added Berrykit with abhorrence.

Mossypelt rolled her eyes. "Suit yourself," she meowed. "I had to do it, too. Even Oakstar had to do it when she was an apprentice."

Nutkit purred in amusement. "Oak_paw_!"

Starlingheart twitched his whiskers and shifted his gaze across the apprentices' den. Wolfpaw and Halfpaw were in an airy conversation while play-fighting near the entrance, almost like Snailkit and Berrykit but in a more organized manner. Wolfpaw and Halfpaw's skills were nearly matched with one another. He noticed the glint that went in between their eyes. _Surely we'd have more mouths to feed in the next few seasons?_

He looked over at the elders' den that was made by gorse bush, like the rest of the dens, besides the leader's den. Jaggedfoot limped out and laid on his side to bask in the sun. Lakerunner went up to his brother's side and stretched out on his side, his spine touching Jaggedfoot's spine and his head relaxed on Jaggedfoot's shoulders. The two retired senior warriors seemed to be cherishing the tranquility of OakClan. _It _sure_ is good to be in a Clan like OakClan, _thought Starlingheart. _Who wouldn't want to be in OakClan in the first place? We have plenty of prey and a lot of sheltered foliage in the outskirts of our territory!_

Starlingheart was train of though was interrupted as Snowpelt padded up towards him.

"Do you want to go on the sunhigh border patrol with me and the others?" asked Snowpelt, his eyes glowing.

Starlingheart did not hesitate to answer. "Of course," he meowed. He followed Snowpelt up to a small group of cats that were consisting of the border patrol that Ryenose had finished doling out. She was about to send them away with a flick of her tail but her attention was caught on the arrival of Starlingheart with Snowpelt.

"Ah, so you want to come along as well, Starlingheart?" meowed Ryenose imposingly.

Starlingheart nodded his head. "I don't want to miss out on an important duty on such a beautiful day," he told her.

Ryenose dipped her head brusquely and flicked her tail-tip towards the narrow camp entrance. "Then you may go," she meowed. "Hatchwing is leading the patrol." Starlingheart caught sight of the ginger tom looking arrogant, which was never really a show to begin with. Hatchwing dipped his head at his deputy and motioned his cats to follow him out of the camp. Starlingheart fell behind and squeezed through the narrow thorn barrier that lead out the camp. As they were running out into the forest, Starlingheart caught up with who was in the patrol: Hatchwing, Deersong, Robinfeather, Copperpaw, and Slatefern. Ryenose had chosen the sturdiest cats to be in this patrol, let alone Hatchwing being one of the scrawniest and more grounded on speed afore strength.

The patrol had slowed down to a halt near a streaming river, its waters flickering with shiny, gray minnows. Starlingheart's stomach growled for something to eat but he had no favor in sinking his fangs into fish. That was ShrewClan's purpose. Starlingheart hoped that they wouldn't encounter ShrewClan patrols along the opposite side of the bank; they would often get into useless quarrels.

Hatchwing went up to a patch of reed next to the river, sniffed it, and placed his scent marking on them. Robinfeather and his apprentice Copperpaw sat back on their hind legs and reared up, balancing up to slice the bark with unsheathed claws. Copperpaw balanced on her hind legs, a foreleg held out in hesitance after she scratched the thick bark. Robinfeather nodded approvingly at his apprentice's deep claw marks. Copperpaw's eyes shone.

Up the stream was a large patch of land that was unoccupied by either territory—it was far from BlizzardClan's reach but it was dead-on in between the neighboring territories of ShrewClan and OakClan. This expansive piece of land was sheltered by beech trees and was known for its beautiful jasmine flowers that grew around the edges of the clearing. Starlingheart relished the delightful scent that wafted from the white flowers when the wind blew. It was a piece of land that was rightfully for OakClan.

Slatefern placed her scent marker on a nearby beech tree after she had scored her black claws down its pale bark. She parted her jaws to taste the air. Her body stiffened and her tail bristled.

"We got company," she meowed in a low, deterrent tone.

As she spoke, a barrier of ferns rustled on the other side of the bank as four lithe and sleek cats emerged. Their eyes were glinting with challenge, their tails thrashing and haunches raised.

The lead of them, a lithe light brown tabby she-cat, flattened her ears against her round head. "If you're thinking about marking that patch of land," she hissed, "think again."

A gray-and-white she-cat bounded up to the edge of the river on her Clanmates' side. "Stay out of it!" She glared the OakClan patrol down with scorching blue eyes.

Slatefern sprung up at the verge of the river, too, perfectly balancing her sturdy, well-muscled body. "Over our dead bodies!" she snarled.

Deersong met up with Slatefern, along with Starlingheart and the rest of the patrol. "We are nowhere near the unoccupied piece of territory," she assured calmly. "It is land that is under the noses of nobody and, therefore, should not be under any real consideration."

A ginger tom over on the other side bristled his neck fur. "Shrewstar has lately been considering that land being ours," he hissed. "OakClan already had enough territory for its paws to run and mouths to feed."

Starlingheart pulled his lips back into a subtle snarl. "Now you _know_ that's not true!" he growled. He stopped himself from saying how their territory was actually smaller than it normally was. With BlizzarClan's borderlines meeting OakClan's at a different location, it hadn't been long until BlizzardClan had surreptitiously claimed a large piece of OakClan's land as their own. Surprisingly, Oakstar had did nothing about it. Back then, Oakstar and Blizzardstar were close friends and Oakstar knew that it was for the best for Blizzardstar to broaden his territory to prepare for the snowfall in this coming leaf-bare. _ We _need_ this piece of land!_

The fourth ShrewClan cat in the patrol, a white tom, stepped up beside the light brown tabby she-cat. "JasmineHaven will be ours," he meowed. "OakClan and their filthy squirrel-eaters won't lay a paw on it."

Hatchwing tilted his head. "_JasmineHaven_?" he mused. "Is that the name you gave the land?"

The white tom, called Newtfur, blinked and looked away reticently. "Well—tch—I-_I_ came up with it," he stammered gawkily. "B-because it's upstream of the river and there are jasmines in the field." For a heartbeat all the cats just looked at him, bewildered. He sunk away and flatted his ears, giving his chest fur a couple of mortified licks.

Robinfeather spluttered with laughter. "ShrewClan is already so attached to the land that they gave a pet name for it!"

Newtfur gave the light brown tabby she-cat an oblique glance. "Heathernose, do something," he hissed beneath his breath to make his voice unheard, though Starlingheart caught him. The ShrewClan patrol leader Heathernose looked down at the frail white tom, her gaze sullen down on him. She kicked a robust forepaw in his ribs.

"You stupid oaf!" she hissed through teeth. "We better head back to camp." She shot a hot look at the OakClan patrol. "Consider yourself fluky, mouse-brains," she retorted. "Be willing that you weren't covered with ShrewClan claws." With a goaded spat, she spun around and shot back for her Clan's camp, her patrol hard on her feet.

Slatefern bristled up her fur, making herself look twice her size. "ShrewClan cats, I'm telling you!" she growled.

As much as Starlingheart wanted to leave fresh scent markers on the so-called JasmineHaven clearing, he wanted to behave in front of his Clanmates and not do what he truthfully wanted to do. He placed a few scent markers along their side of the stream and followed after Hatchwing, along with the rest of the patrol. When they returned into the camp, a few cats rose to their paws and streamed towards them, eyes intrusive and expectant.

"Did you meet any ShrewClan cats by the Adderstream?" meowed Curltail.

Robinfeather looked as if he was in no mood to answer such questions. "Yes," he grunted.

Snowpelt padded up. "There's no doubt that they mentioned about that piece of unclaimed land that's located upstream," he meowed stoically. "They like to stir up trouble where their noses lie in."

Copperpaw scuttled over to her littermates Duskpaw and Halfpaw. "A white ShrewClan tom named Newtfur gave the clearing a name: JasmineHaven."

Halfpaw's eyes shone. "That's pretty."

"No it's not!" opposed Copperpaw in total aversion.

"I think it's a pretty word choice… for a ShrewClan cat."

Starlingheart found Honeydapple looking at him from the warrior's den. She looked as if she wanted him to let her be the first to hear about what had happened from their patrol. But he pushed it aside and went after Hatchwing, who was bounded towards the OakDen. Starlingheart had stepped aside for Hatchwing to go in instead. A few heartbeats later Oakstar stomped out first, Hatchwing following grimly silent behind her. Starlingheart shadowed after them.

Oakstar was heading for the HighStump, a tall tree stump adorned with reedy vines with leaves that fraught out. The leader clambered up onto the HighStump and lifted her muzzle. "Cats of OakClan," she announced in her elegant tone. "Any cat who is old enough to catch their own prey gather around the HighStump for a Clan meeting."

Honeydapple emerged at Starlingheart's side, her eyes clouded with worry. "What's happening?" she meowed to him.

"It's about ShrewClan," he told her, not peeling his eyes from the leader.

Once everyone was gathered around the HighStump and fell silent, the OakClan leader had begun. "It was not too long ago that Ryenose sent out a border patrol. Hatchwing had skirted his patrol along all parts of the borderline as possible. He reported back to me that when they reached the Adderstream, they were encountered by a ShrewClan patrol. He says that they were threatening war with us."

Surprised meows and threats filled through the air. Oakstar lifted her tail for silence.

"I am in no point to bring out a war over a piece of land," she continued. "Think of the damage that would happen to our warriors because of this accusation we've driven ourselves into." Several cats were murmuring in agreement. "And Shrewstar has the mind of a fox. She's not to be trusted."

Dewcloud rose to his paws from the clearing. "But they've declared war on us," he challenged. "Doesn't this mean anything to you? To us?"

"He's right," meowed Curltail. "We are _warriors_—we were bred to fight and defend our Clan, even if it costs our life. And plus, it's not like we'll be savagely killing one another."

Oakstar lifted her tail high for attention. "Silence!" she yowled. "I must decide what needs to be done. If they want a war with us, then so be it. We will fight over this piece of land to strengthen our territory and to expand it further. After BlizzardClan have taken a piece of our territory to expand it, it's come to realization that our territory had shrunken dramatically."

Ryenose was sitting at the base of the HighStump. She looked up at her leader. "Then it is decided?" she meowed.

A moments of hesitation hung over Oakstar like a heavy mist cloud. She looked as if she wanted to reconsider. Finally she lashed her tail and swept her burning eyes slowly over her Clan. "We will fight ShrewClan for the territory," she raised her voice over the heavily silent cats.

Yowls of triumph and insatiability crashed into the air all at once. Starlingheart and Honeydapple joined in; he made sure that he was the loudest. _Oakstar's finally got some sense into her!_

"The battle will take place this coming nightfall," yowled Oakstar over the clamor of yowls. "Mentors must double up the battle training with their apprentices—I feel that it is time for them to prepare themselves for their first battle."

Honeydapple had stopped and looked over at Starlingheart, who was still yowling with arrogance. "I guess that means I'll go," she meowed to him.

Starlingheart paused and shifted his glowing amber gaze at her. "Cool!" he meowed. "I bet Duskpaw would come back with strong paws."

Honeydapple twitched her whiskers in amusement and got up to pad towards her apprentice. By the time she reached there, the other mentors had reached their apprentice's sides.

An envious squeak came from the nursery den. "That's not fair!" complained Snailkit. "I want to go and fight, too!"

Mossypelt scolded her son. "I will not throw you or your littermates into such a needless battle!"

Starlingheart rose up to his paws, flexing his claws. Once the noise died down to low, excited mumbles, the Clan dispersed into their daily activities. Ryenose was doling out a hunting patrol for the sunhigh. Starlingheart felt excitement fizz in his paws. _I can't wait to show my long-awaited skills in front of ShrewClan. We'll show them that we will be claiming that piece of land!_


	5. Chapter 3

Oakstar's announcement to declaring war on ShrewClan still sent exhilaration chilling down Starlingheart's spine. He would work his claws on any piece of wood that he found. He knew that he wasn't essentially marking his territory by clawing on trees; he wanted to sharpen his claws a bit more.

Starlingheart was marauding through the woods, his claws unsheathed that glinted in the orange, dusky light. His claws were hungry for ShrewClan fur. Starlingheart slithered through the trees until they lessened into the clearing by the Adderstream. He stood near the edge, gazing at his reflection in the rippling water. His reflection was a dark shadow that rippled like waves. Starlingheart turned around and whisked his tail. He shifted his amber gaze at the JasmineHaven, a name that Newtfur of ShrewClan gave the large clearing. I _have a name for it,_ he thought inwardly. _Jasmineglade._

Starlingheart looked over his shoulder at the opposite side of the river, where ShrewClan territory laid. He waited and waited for a ShrewClan patrol to come out and challenge him. He neck fur ruffled at the thought of clashing into a patrol while he was outnumbered.

Leaves rustled on ShrewClan's territory. Starlingheart bristled, unsheathing his claws and arching his back.

A red robin fluttered out from a bush, its little body carried up into the safety of the trees.

Starlingheart flattened his fur, looking rather relieved than distraught.

A gray-and-white she-cat sprang out of a clump of ferns, causing the wide leaves to shake and hiss violently. Starlingheart watched as the she-cat gracefully clambered up the tree and, with a mighty paw sweep, whacked the red robin down to the ground. The branch that the bird was on was only a couple of fox-lengths tall. The she-cat scrabbled down towards the ground and landed on her feet. She gave the robin a killing bite to the neck before it went limp in her jaws.

Starlingheart was in awe. He shook his head to clear his mind. He'd seen this she-cat before in Gatherings. His heart twisted. _She's a ShrewClan cat!_ He couldn't move a muscle from his body.

The gray-and-white she-cat had seemed to not have discerned Starlingheart. When she picked up the robin in her jaws, the moment she lifted her head she made immediate eye contact with Starlingheart. She looked shocked rather than belligerent.

Starlingheart felt his heart freeze in place. He wanted to torment a ShrewClan cat beneath his claws so bad and yet he wasn't able to by some imperceptible force.

"Close your jaws," meowed the ShrewClan she-cat through feathers. "A fly might flutter in it."

Starlingheart felt his heart begin to fluster in surprise. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered.

To his surprise, the ShrewClan warrior didn't surge out to insult or attack him. Instead she dropped her quarry down by her paws and paced up towards the edge of the river. "I'm Finchfeather," she meowed approachably. "You must be one of those OakClan warriors. I hear that you cats sleep in trees." She stifled a _mrrow_ of laughter.

Starlingheart felt hot with embarrassment. "Of course we don't!" he hissed. "Who told you that?"

Finchfeather lashed her bushy tail. "None of your business."

The brown tabby tom flicked his tail-tip with impatience. "If you think that I'm here for—"

"Have you gotten bees in your brain?" interrupted Finchfeather. "Who cares about that piece of land? I don't."

Relief flooded through Starlingheart. "Oh, great," he sighed. "Because I thought…Anyway…" He found this she-cat easier to talk to than any of the other ShrewClan warriors. _It wouldn't hurt to stay and talk with her for a while…_

Finchfeather meowed. "What _are_ you here for, really?"

"I came to have a little stroll around my territory," he lied. _That was until you came._

"Oh," meowed Finchfeather, flicking an ear. "Did you see my hunting skills over there when I caught that bird?" Her eyes were shining with proud arrogance. "That robin didn't see it coming!"

"You were great." He had to admit that her hunting skill were very elegant and quick. Finchfeather's body was lithe, soft, and seemed lightweight. _That must've been the reason why she did it so flawlessly._

The two cats stood at their ends of the river in silence for a little longer. Finchfeather turned away and whisked her tail, reaching down to grab her quarry. "I got to go," she muffled through red feathers. "And I better not see you dare to cross that river." With a wave of her tail she bounded through the barrier of ferns, her body vanishing into the depths of ShrewClan territory.

Starlingheart had watched after where she had vanished. He was utterly surprised that she didn't even threaten him to not enter the Jasmineglade unauthorized. Starlingheart even noticed how there was no bit of hostility in her dark green eyes. Starlingheart shook his head. _Maybe she was just having a good day back in her camp._

Heading back through the forest to reach his own camp, Starlingheart sauntered through the narrow thorn barrier. His stomach was growling. He went over to the fresh-kill pile to grab a mouse. The clearing was in a shade of orange and milky pink. The sun was resting halfway along the horizon, sending out its last sunrays before vanishing behind the trees for now. It didn't take long until nightfall hung over the camp.

During the rest of the day, Starlingheart had hung out with his brothers, Snowpelt and Dewcloud. They were deliberating on possible ways to sneak into ShrewClan's camp.

Snowpelt was drawing lines in the sandy ground with a claw, finishing up their discussion. "We form three patrols here and send one of them out towards the rear of their camp." He cuttingly drew a line through a delineated circle. "That way, we'll be able to give them the element of surprise."

Dewcloud was nodding his head slowly in agreement, his eyes glowing in the dark. Starlingheart thumped his thin tail along the ground. He drifted his eyes across the clearing, leading them up to the cloudless sky. The moon was nearly full and only a claw slice of it was left unseen.

"Starlingheart," hissed Snowpelt.

Snapped back into reality, Starlingheart swung his gaze down on his brother. "What?" he meowed quickly. "Oh, yeah, that sounds like a good plan. You should tell that to Ryenose."

Snowpelt released an exasperated sigh. "Were you even listening?"

Dewcloud flicked an ear. "Yeah, you've been sidetracked ever since sunhigh. Haven't you forgotten the battle we have tomorrow night?"

"Of course I remember!" Starlingheart leaned forward, inattentively sullying Snowpelt's plans away with a sweep of his paw. "I was distracted by the thoughts on forming an outbreak on ShrewClan, that's all."

Dewcloud blinked worriedly. "Stay with us," he meowed. "We haven't been in a battle for moons."

Snowpelt stood up, not seeming to worry about his plans being wiped away on accident. "Well, I was told to stand on guard for tonight," he told his brothers. "Both of you need your sleep. Be the strongest littermates I ever had."

Starlingheart yawned bigly and rose to his paws. "Alright," he meowed wearily, the drowsiness washing through his brown tabby pelt. He gave a brusque nod to Snowpelt and Dewcloud before vanishing into the warriors' den. Starlingheart was about to lie down on his nest when he touched something fluffy. He jolted in surprise and turned around to find Lionkit curled up in his nest, snoring lightly. _How did _he_ get in here_? He nudged the cream-furred kit's head gently. Lionkit yawned and blinked open his eyes jadedly.

"…Wha…?" mumbled Lionkit wearily.

"This is the wrong den," Starlingheart told him in a murmur. "Back to the nursery you go."

Lionkit hesitated before rising up to his tiny, fuzzy paws and stumbling out of the den. Starlingheart watched the kit until his tiny body vanished in the nursery den.

"Weird…" Starlingheart mumbled to himself under his breath.

Honeydapple's nest was next to his and he was glad to feel her warmth against his cool, sleek fur. Starlingheart circled in his nest and tidied it up before curling up, releasing a sigh. The gray-and-white she-cat flashed in his mind. He couldn't take his mind off of her. _Finchfeather._ The more he thought about the ShrewClan she-cat, the more his paws itched to go towards the river. _ No, I can't. She's from another Clan! Oakstar's made up her decision to attack ShrewClan unnoticed. But Finchfeather is very pretty… and she's a great hunter, too!_

Sunlight pierced through the clearing, the scents of many preys almost too overwhelming and the sound of birdsong being carried lightly into the air. Starlingheart arose from his nest and took in a deep breath. _Today looks so beautiful, like Finchfeather…_ The brown tabby warrior glanced both ways before entering through the camp. He paused to give each leg a stretch until they visibly shook. He had thought about visiting the riverside to meet with Finchfeather again. But before he could set foot towards the entrance, Honeydapple stepped in his way, her eyes glowing.

"Hey, guess what?" meowed Honeydapple.

"What is it?" meowed Starlingheart.

"I've overheard Ryenose and Oakstar discussing about the apprentices' warrior assessments!"

Starlingheart blinked in surprise. "Really?" he meowed. "That's great news!"

Honeydapple brushed her tail along the ground, her eyes dropping to her forepaws. "I'd really miss mentoring Duskpaw," she meowed softly. "She's such a great apprentice and I can hope to see her as a fine, loyal warrior one day." She paused. Honeydapple looked up at Starlingheart, expectantly. "I have a great feeling that you'd have an apprentice soon yourself!" she mewed. There was a hint in her tone that Starlingheart couldn't quite get.

Starlingheart shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the subject for too long. "No," he sighed.

There was a long pause from Honeydapple. Her eyes were misted over with worry. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You don't seem so well."

"I'm fine," insisted Starlingheart. "I'm just about to take a walk through the forest and maybe add some fresh scent markers."

Honeydapple's eyes shone. "Can I come with you?"

Starlingheart shook his head. "No."

Dejectedness suspended over Honeydapple's face. Her tail drooped and ears flattened. _I know we've been through many things together, but what would Finchfeather saw when she finds Honeydapple with me?_ To his surprise, Honeydapple only dipped her head.

"Okay," she murmured, crestfallen. "Okay. I see that you would like to go alone. Alright, okay, that's alright." She turned away from him, a concerned and misplaced look on her face, and padded across the clearing to the warriors' den.

With no hesitation, Starlingheart slipped out through the thorn barrier. He harried through the pathway of trees, bounding over any twisted roots that gnarled in his path. The soft trickling of the stream tickled in his ears. He parted his jaws to taste the air. He stood by the stream to listen to any signs of the ShrewClan cat. But he couldn't catch any movement across the river. _Maybe this was the wrong time to meet her._ He was about to turn around, disappointed, when he heard a vivacious meow across the river.

"Hey! Why leaving so soon?"

It was Finchfeather.

Starlingheart spun around, his tail waving in the air. "Finchfeather!" he meowed. The pretty gray-and-white she-cat pranced over to the water's edge, her eyes glowing. "I thought you were busy in the Clan. What's been happening in ShrewClan?"

"Just the usual," meowed Finchfeather. "I've been training my apprentice Fallowpaw. She's going to become a warrior soon."

"That's great!" exclaimed Starlingheart. "Our apprentices are going to become warriors very soon. Oakstar says that they'll receive their warrior names in the meantime."

The ShrewClan she-cat waved her tail. "Fallowpaw says that she wants to be named after me."

"That'd be a pretty name if she was."

Finchfeather licked her chest for in embarrassment. "Thanks…" she murmured.

Starlingheart stared at her, dazed. He had forgotten how long he'd been standing there. His paws itched to cross the border to stand right next to her. Before he knew it, something pressed against him from behind, knocking his body into the water. Paws flailing for land, Starlingheart gasped and ended up gulping down warm water. His paws struck against something hard. He unsheathed his claws to haul himself up, finding himself back on shore again. When he lifted his dripping muzzle, his nose was a couple of mouse-lengths away from Finchfeather's muzzle. Starlingheart gasped. Finchfeather made a surprised gasp noise, eyes wide like moons, taking a step back.

"Starlingheart, look!" gasped Finchfeather, angling her ears towards the other side of the bank.

Starlingheart, still stunned, turned around and saw Dewcloud standing on the opposite bank. "And just what in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing?" meowed Dewcloud.

As reality struck him in the head, Starlingheart looked back at where his forepaws clutched on. He was barely at the verge of ShrewClan territory!

"You pushed me in!" growled Starlingheart, looking over his shoulder.

"Of course," meowed Dewcloud sardonically. "I'm sorry I ruined your little _talk_." He paced up towards the water's edge, his neck stretched out and parallel over the water, his eyes glinting with rage. "ShrewClan are our enemies—you're talking to an enemy! Get away from her!"

Starlingheart looked up at Finchfeather and saw her staring across at Dewcloud. There was a strong and strange hint of something that glinted in her eyes. Her entire body was frozen like a rock. She only attempted to twitch her tail-tip.

Starlingheart dipped his head. "I am sorry," he murmured, where only Finchfeather could hear and not Dewcloud from behind.

Finchfeather only nodded, her eyes not moving from Dewcloud. "Okay…" she meowed absently.

Starlingheart wondered what the matter with her was. He stared at her pale blue eyes though they never met his. Slowing wading backwards and away from the shore, Starlingheart faced his territory and clumsily clambered up, shaking out his sodden pelt.

Dewcloud growled. "Great, now you've messed up my fur!" he hissed.

"Bye!" meowed Finchfeather gaily from across the river.

As the brothers began walking away, Dewcloud whirled his head around, glaring at the she-cat. "Don't you _ever_ think about talking with my brother again," he snarled. "Or I'll personally punish you one day."

Starlingheart didn't look back. His tail drooped he could hear the violent rustle of leaves from behind. Finchfeather must've left immediately. Dewcloud caught up with his brother and they both silently trudged their way back to camp. The forest around them was bright and peaceful, tall shadows slanting across their backs. The twittering of an arrogant robin fluttered over their heads. They paid no attention to it. After the tense silence that held amidst them, Dewcloud finally spoke up.

"What's with you?" he meowed furiously, his eyes glazed with rage. "We're plotting an attack on ShrewClan by nightfall and I catch you talking friendlily to a ShrewClan cat?"

Starlingheart's patience had snapped into two like a reedy stick. "How long have you been standing there?" he snapped.

"Long enough."

Starlingheart stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes burning. "That's it!" he hissed. "I'm always being followed by you whenever I try to get my privacy. Can't you take your nose out of my whiskers for once?"

Dewcloud looked stung. "Oh, so you call talking to a she-cat from a different Clan private?" He stopped as well, his neck fur bristling. "Which one of you arrived at the Adderstream first?"

"It's none of your business—"

"_Tell_ me."

Starlingheart shifted on his paws fretfully. "I did, okay?" he finally forced out. "Who cares?"

"_I_ care," meowed Dewcloud. "But you're being a complete fox-brain right now." He started walking again; he froze with one forepaw lifted off the ground. "If I catch you near the Adderstream again while speaking with Finchfeather, I'll report it to Oakstar im_mediately_. Got that?"

Starlingheart flexed his claws and dug it into the ground. His tail thrashed querulously, his eyes burnt into his brother's gray pelt. He drew back the corner of his lips and bared a portion of his teeth. "Alright," growled Starlingheart through teeth.

Dewcloud had a smug look on his face before continuing to walk. Starlingheart followed more slowly, his ears and tail drooped. They didn't speak to one another the rest of the way. Dewcloud and Starlingheart squeezed through the narrow thorn barrier and into the clearing. Everyone had seemed to be doing their own thing, either sharing tongues or lazily basking in the sunlight.

Honeydapple padded up when Dewcloud and Starlingheart came into the center of the clearing. "Where did he go?" she meowed to Dewcloud. "Was he out hunting? Did you catch anything?" She flitted her attention on Starlingheart.

Starlingheart sighed. "No," he meowed. "We didn't catch anything."

Dewcloud stepped up. "We almost caught a squirrel and a robin but they were both startled by the leaves when a breeze came through." When Dewcloud left, Honeydapple angled her riled eyes directly into Starlingheart's.

"So why didn't you want me to go out hunting with you?" she murmured irately.

"I wanted to try out a move I had in mind," lied Starlingheart.

"What makes _me_ a problem with it?" she pressed on. "Couldn't you have shown me while you were out?"

Starlingheart forced himself to stay calm. "I was going to try out a new move on that squirrel and give it to you as a surprise. But we both see how that didn't work out."

Hushed, Honeydapple's face hung over with a pang of guilt. "Oh," she murmured. "Well you know I don't like surprises."

"I know you too much."

With an impatient flick of her tail, Honeydapple walked away. Starlingheart was glad to finally have some fresh air. The sturdy brown tabby warrior lugged his paws over towards the warriors' den. He went over to his nest and, surprisingly feeling lethargic, fell to sleep as soon as he lied down.

*(*

"Tonight is the night!"

Starlingheart was awoken by Oakstar's elegant voice. He got out of his nest and stalked out into the clearing. The Clan was sitting in front of the HighStump, with Oakstar sitting on top of it. Her tail hung limp and her ears angled towards her Clan. Her eyes were glowing sharply in the dark.

"With our apprentices and warriors ready by the muscle," meowed Oakstar, "we will send out three attack patrols to ShrewClan's camp." Starlingheart had a worried look on his face, though he tried to not make it obvious. "We'll have a reinforcement group if one of the three attack patrols are badly injured. They have been given a warning and they refuse to accept it, so we will give them a war."

Ryenose stepped up from the HighStump, her eyes just as ambitious. "We will start out the attack in their camp," she meowed loud enough for everyone to hear. "This is not a battle to show ShrewClan on what we're made of—this is the battle to claim the Jasmineglade that is rightfully ours!"

Yowls of excitement rung through the dark camp. Oakstar motioned her tail for her cats to cease the clamor. Starlingheart couldn't share their excitement.

"This starts now," meowed Ryenose. "Robinfeather, you take Curltail, Dewcloud, and Copperpaw." She began gesturing her tail for said cats to gather around to form their separate patrols. Every cat was silent and ready for the brewing battle. "Wildleap, you lead Seedfur, Duskpaw, and Wolfpaw." _She's trying to include all of the apprentices._ "And Beechmask, you will take Honeydapple, Starlingheart, and Halfpaw."

As the cats gathered around, Starlingheart felt uneasy as Beechmask's gaze burned at the back of his head. Honeydapple shifted uncomfortably beside him. Halfpaw's eyes shone.

With a flick of her tail, Oakstar ordered them to leave the camp without speaking. The leaders of the patrols all dipped their heads brusquely and rushed out silently into the forest. Starlingheart could feel Halfpaw's breath grazing against his haunches behind him. They were pelting through the forest and yet silently like slithering snakes on the prowl. Wildleap's patrol was in front. Wildleap swerved past a tree upstream alongside the river.

Starlingheart caught up and stumbled on a tangle of roots. Beechmask slowed up by him and nudged him up with his scarred muzzle.

"Hurry up," he grunted.

Starlingheart was surprised that Honeydapple didn't slow down to meet up with him. Shrugging it off, he managed to see beneath the milky light of the moon. The forest appeared sinister and ominous. A real _war_ was about to happen. Starlingheart felt energy froth through his forepaws.

The ground gradually dipped beneath his feet. He leveled his body and slowed down along with his group. The others were frozen and laid low beside them. Their eyes were glinting with wariness and readiness. They were at the very edge of ShrewClan camp. Concealed in a forest just like OakClan, their camps were slightly the same: thick, strong trees that guarded the camp, patches of ferns and honeysuckle that grew around as a barrier. However, the clearing's ground was grassy instead of dry and sandy. Out in the clearing standing on guard at the entrance was Stagspring, a black-and-brown tabby tom. His eyes were big and alert.

Robinfeather hissed beneath his breath. "Are you ready?" he meowed to his Clanmates. "If we don't be careful, Stagspring could catch us and call out the entire ShrewClan to backfire our plan."

"We are to drive them out," meowed Wolfpaw. "Not drag their attentions."

Seedfur looked down at the black and gray tom with darker flecks. "Well said, Wolfpaw," she praised silently. "If Slatefern were here, she'd be very proud of you."

Wolfpaw's brilliant yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.

All the cats hunkered, ready for position. A long silence hung over them like a mist cloud. An owl's call hooted in the distance, giving off a menacing setting to the dark forest. With a single flick of Beechmask's tail, the OakClan cats exploded into yowls of vengeance and war, crashing into the camp.

Stagspring whirled around in surprise and almost instantly did the warriors of ShrewClan began to stir. Most of the warriors shot out of their dens, sleepiness still dragged into their eyes. The clearing was filled with yowls and the clamor of battle.

Starlingheart unsheathed his claws and clawed down the flesh of a ShrewClan cat. He whirled around with alarm, in fear that Finchfeather might see him attacking her Clanmates. Hesitant, he held back and hunkered away, slithering towards the edge of the clearing. He heard a familiar yowl that sickly reminded him of Finchfeather. He spotted her fighting off Curltail. Their attacks matched blow for blow. Luckily, Finchfeather didn't notice Starlingheart yet.

A ginger tom stormed towards Starlingheart, knocking him down. He was pinned down by the ShrewClan tom's forepaws. Starlingheart managed to wriggle free from the position and scored his claws down the tom's face. The ginger tom yowled in pain and turned away, allowing a chance for Starlingheart to run free.

An angry caterwaul filled the air faintly above the clamor of battle. "What in the name of StarClan is going on?" It sounded like Shrewstar.

A brown-and-white she-cat bounded up from a crevice in a large rock that the leader emerged from. Her eyes were glittered with horror. "We're being embattled!" she gasped.

From what looked like a nursery den, a blue-grayish kit poked his head out, staring at the fighting cats with eyes larger than moons. "It's a battle going on in the clearing!" he squeaked with terror. A light gray she-cat with white paws bounded from behind the kit and landed in front of him, blocking the kit's view with her slim body.

"Don't you go any closer!" Starlingheart could hear her growl.

Wildleap was battling with a tri-colored she-cat named Meadownose. He ducked away from her paw swipe and he reared up on his hind legs, battering the she-cat with unsheathed forepaws. Meadownose yowled with pain and back away sharply from the sturdy warrior.

"We'll have to drive them out!" he called out over to his patrol and the others.

At the signal of his call, the patrols, while fighting with their enemies, veered them towards a large opening in the clearing that lead out into the forest. Starlingheart followed more quietly, not wanting to attract Finchfeather's attention. He wasn't fighting anyone and so far he didn't want to. He realized that they were being driven closer and closer to the Jasmineglade—well, the Jasmine_haven_, according to Newtfur. Shrewstar and her deputy Puddlepelt were hard on their paws, following after the flowing battle.

"We're being driven into the Jasminehaven!" exclaimed one ShrewClan cat.

Nearby, a smoky black tom stood tall amongst the swarm of teeth and fur. "We need more warriors!" he shouted.

A light brown tabby she-cat came up beside the black tom and brusquely rested her muzzle on his shoulders. "We'll have to call out more warriors, you're right," she meowed. "Quick, come with me and we'll rally up our strongest warriors!" The black tom and light brown tabby she-cat both vanished in the midst of the battlefield. The cats were now in the center of Jasminehaven, the well-known jasmine flowers glowing dimly in the milky moonlight.

Starlingheart felt weight crash into him from the side. He was pinned to the ground once more and flipped over on his back to find himself face to face with a light brown she-cat. Her nostrils were flared, eyes shimmering with fury.

"You traitors!" she spat. "You invaded our camp! We'll show you who you're messing with…!"

"Stop!"

The battle around him did not cease. Instead, the light brown she-cat on top of him froze and looked over her shoulder. Starlingheart followed his gaze and, with a startled gasp, recognized Finchfeather running towards them. The beautiful ShrewClan cat's eyes were swollen with dread, her gray-and-white fur glowing silver under the moonlit clearing. Finchfeather stopped beside them and pushed the light brown tabby she-cat off of Starlingheart.

The she-cat rose up to her paws and shook her fur. "What was that for?" she hissed at Finchfeather. 'He's part of OakClan—he deserves to be clawed in the face!"

"So maybe he does, Fallowpelt," snapped Finchfeather. "But he's a friend of mine. Please—don't hurt him!"

The she-cat named Fallowpelt hesitated for a moment, flitting suspicious glances with Starlingheart and Finchfeather. With an exasperated hiss, she scuttled away and into the battle.

Starlingheart rose to his feet. "Thanks," he purred. "Who was that?"

"That's Fallowpelt," meowed Finchfeather. "I was her mentor before she became a warrior earlier today. This is her first battle."

Starlingheart blinked in surprise. "So that's the apprentice you were telling me about?" he mused.

"Yes."

"Well, you trained her wonderfully."

With a pang of anxiety, he spotted Puddlepelt from the corner of his eyes, facing Beechmask through icy blue slits of eyes.

"Tell me, why you send your warriors to attack us?" meowed the ShrewClan deputy coldly.

Beechmask drew his lips back, revealing yellow teeth. "We want the Jasminehaven for ourselves!" he growled. "ShrewClan has plenty enough land to hunt as they please."

Puddlepelt bristled her fur. "Well, then, if this is a fight that you want, then you've had it. This is war." The brown-and-white she-cat reared up slowly on her hind legs and stretched out her forepaws, unsheathed, pouncing on the sturdy OakClan warrior. Beechmask buckled on his legs and pushed with all his force to buck her backwards, sending her flying across the clearing, which was merely a short distance.

The battle had seemed to have go on forever. Starlingheart stepped back from any claw slashes, not wanting to fight Finchfeather's Clanmates. He wanted to stay loyal to her. He didn't want to hurt any cat that Finchfeather cared about.

A macabre yowl burbled in the air, followed by a thump, from a thick mist of cats. The bodies froze, stiff-legged, and ceased their battling. They slowly paced back and Starlingheart spotted a white tom with black ears sprawled out on the ground. Beechmask stood over him, his eyes wide with shock. For a tough, ambitious cat, Starlingheart was surprised that Beechmask didn't take pride into what he had just done.

Finchfeather dashed from Starlingheart's side. She met up with Heathernose, Newtfur, and a strange tom that Starlingheart had seen in Gatherings sometimes. The tom was orange with jet-black stripes, nearly looking like the legendary tiger. Starlingheart had never seen this kind of coloration in a cat before.

The strange-colored tom loomed over the motionless white body, his eyes swollen with terror. "Whitepaw!" he gasped.

The tom named Whitepaw breathed with each gasp of air he could handle. Starlingheart stepped closer, angst weighing down in his belly, especially at the horrified face that Finchfeather wore.

"No, Whitepaw, don't give up on me!" meowed the tiger-colored tom.

Whitepaw looked up at the ShrewClan tom. "Tigerspirit," he moaned wearily. "How did I do?"

Tigerspirit flattened his ears, his eyes squelchy. "You fought like a wonderful warrior," he commented. "This battle should've never happened. Look at you!"

Whitepaw began coughing up blood, his sides heaving with an effort. Starlingheart stopped himself from writhing away from the pitiful body. Blood began pooling out from beneath the white tom. Whitepaw's breathing became weaker.

"Tigerspirit," he meowed. "This was my last day on being an apprentice and… and I want to be named after you as a warrior. When I join StarClan, I want to be Whitespirit." The apprentice's head threw back in a painful cough, his body thrown in a spasm. "Can you make StarClan do that?"

Starlingheart noticed that Whitepaw's neck was gashed open, where most of the blood was welling out from. Starlingheart looked up to find Beechmask; he was nowhere to be found.

Every cat was silent except for the weak breathing of Whitepaw. Tigerspirit rested his muzzle in the dips of his apprentice's shoulders. Finchfeather stood close to Fallowpelt, their eyes wide with grief. Fallowpelt paced up and pressed her cheek against Whitepaw's.

"Whitepaw, I'll never forget you." Her voice was hard and stuck in her throat. Her body trembled with emotion. "I love you."

Whitepaw's body gave one last heave of breath, so gentle and calm. In on fast motion, his body stopped all together. Fallowpelt stayed in her position for quite longer. Tigerspirit stepped back, his head hung and tail drooped.

The milky moonlight faded away, leaving the forest to look dark and ominous. All the cats' heads were drooped in silence for Whitepaw. It was only for a few heartbeats. A dark gray she-cat flung up her head, her deep blue eyes glinting sharply in the darkness.

"You killed my son!" she snarled out loud. Starlingheart knew that she was looking for Beechmask. The hefty tom was scurrying away near the edge of the clearing. The dark gray ShrewClan she-cat threw her body in a sharp run towards Beechmask. Two ShrewClan cats threw themselves in front of her, causing the angry mother to slam right into them. Her breathing was heavy and her lips were drawn back into a savage snarl, nostrils flared.

"_I'll kill you!_" she screeched bloodcurdlingly. She tried thrusting her body past the barricade of fur but was held back firmly. She kept trying to burst through though it was helpless. "I'll kill you!" she continued in a loud, coarse tone. "You haven't seen the last of me!"

Everyone was overwhelmed and silenced by grief and shock. The leader of ShrewClan lifted his muzzle in the shadowy air. "ShrewClan retreat!" he yowled.

At once, pelts rushed and blurred past them, causing the barrier of foliage to hiss in the silence as the cats vanished out of sight. Even Finchfeather didn't stay behind to say goodbye. The grieving mother helped Newtfur to carry Whitepaw's body across the clearing. Newtfur gave her a few loving, consoling licks on the ears before they lifted him off the ground. By then, all ShrewClan cats had left the bloodied Jasminehaven except for Puddlepelt. Her face was stiff and grim.

"You had your battle," she meowed to the OakClan cats. "And you've won. You've killed another cat and the warrior code says not to kill a cat unless necessary. What you did was completely fox-brained. Newtfur and Shadestream will be grieving for a long time over their dead son." She dipped her head at Beechmask, who only stared at her with guilt. "See you." She turned away and pelted after her Clan.

The cats of OakClan gathered around each other, their breaths caught and eyes wide with alarm and guilt. Every cat hung their head low, their eyes either facing the ground or flitting slowly with one another. _We won._ But yet he still couldn't taste the sign of victory.

Beechmask paced up to the patrols. "I'm sorry," he managed to utter out.

Honeydapple stomped up. "Not another word, Father!" she cried. "You murdered another cat! I'm so ashamed of you…!" She bit her lip and forced herself to look away from the killer that was her father. Starlingheart stepped up to pressed his flank against hers but she peeled away from him, facing her back towards every cat.

Robinfeather lifted his beaten gaze and looked around his Clanmates. "Well, we won the land," he meowed. "Now what are we to do?"

Wolfpaw's eyes were dark. "It's too late to place fresh scent markers," he meowed. "Supposedly we wait 'til morning?"

Curltail turned her gaze at Beechmask. "Beechmask, you know what this means. You killed a cat and it is forbidden to kill another Clan cat unless it's crucial."

"I know," he meowed abruptly and low. "Maybe it is for the best."


End file.
